EU "Blue Card" for highly skilled specialists

Germany
implements EU Directive "Blue Card", COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 2009/50/EC of 25
May 2009 for high skilled employees on August 1, 2012. The
immigration of foreign skilled nationals has the purpose to enable
immigration of highly qualified employed foreigners from countries
outside of the EU. The time will tell whether this
regulation changes the rigid practice of the German embassies
abroad and of the national aliens offices to prevent the immigration of
high skilled nationals.

The
Federal Government wishes to strengthen the German labour marked with
§ 19 a) aliens act. The income threshold for an unlimited
residence permit for highly skilled workers shall reduced
substantially. The necessary income will be reduced.The federal government hopes that by
this way they can make an attractive offer to highly skilled foreign
professionals. Time will tell whether the immigration authorities
in Germany really will be successful to initiate a "welcoming culture"
for highly skilled immigrants and foreign specialists or top
experts as announced in a press release. The federal
government has the idea that the private companies are able to offer
attractive jobs for international experts.

The
holder of an EU Blue Card shall get a permanent residence permit if he
has had at least 33 months a job in accordance with § 1 Aliens Act
and has done for this period compulsory or voluntary contributions to
statutory pension insurance or expenses for a claim for comparable
services of an insurance or care institution or an insurance company
and prove the conditions of § 9, paragraph 2, sentence 1 number 2
and 4 to 9 of the Aliens Act. § 9, paragraph 2, sentences 2
to 6 Aliens Act shall apply accordingly. The period is reduced to
21 months if the foreigner can prove German language proficiency level
B1. Then the blue card is almost a kind of EU-"green card".

For the year 2019, the minimum gross annual income is 53,600 euros. If this minimum salary limit is met, the issue of the EU Blue Card does not require the approval of the Federal Employment Agency (§ 2 Para. 1 No. 2 Letter a Employment Ordinance). The salary limit must be reached irrespective of the working time model. There is no proportional calculation for part-time jobs. Likewise, no individual examination of the individual case is provided for if the salary limits are not reached.

As
your lawyer I will support you to benefit from this "welcoming culture"
at the German immigration authorities and embassies and the
administrative courts.